Mentalist Episode Tag: At First Blush, 4x14
by Donnamour1969
Summary: Jane and Lisbon talk post-case. Who really controls their relationship?  Humor, friendship. Spoilers, 4x14 and 4x15. Rated T for language/adult themes. No copyright infringement intended.


A/N: So many things were great in this episode, especially on the Jisbon side. Scenes come to mind like Jane stealing Lisbon's sandwich, the two of them tag teaming that old lady, the "Boss" and "smile" comments, and just generally the way they worked so well together, so simpatico, so seamlessly. It warms my little shipper heart.

Now the Chummer stuff—what a huge disappointment. Not that I'm mad they kissed, or that Cho was really getting into it, but the events in the elevator seemed forced and not in the least bit romantic. (Makes me so want to re-read mia101's lovely fic "I'm in Here." ) Oh well, add that to the disappointment of last week's anticlimactic reveal of Rigsby's big news, and the writer's are definitely falling down on the secondary characters' stories. So, here I am, focusing on Jisbon once again, because you have to admit, where they were concerned in this episode, it was close to perfection.

**Episode Tag 4x14: At First Blush**

She was waiting for him on the street at the bottom of the courthouse steps, her small body dwarfed by the company SUV as she leaned casually against it, arms crossed before her, watching the show. Jane's characterization of an earlier press conference as a circus was very fitting, and she watched Eve Mulberry and her husband kissing for the cameras with a wry tilt of her head. No wonder Jane found human behavior fascinating; sometimes it was as fascinating as a sideshow menagerie.

A familiar blonde head moving down the steps against the stream of reporters caught her eye, and Jane soon joined Lisbon at her vantage point. He mimicked her pose against the vehicle, his eyes going once again to the spotlights above them.

"Did you see what you wanted to see?" she asked him in amusement.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," he replied. "Eve is grateful, and won't be making the same mistakes again."

"Huh," she said in surprise. "You think she and her husband can make it past all this—the trial, her adultery…?"

Jane shrugged. "Doubtful. Once trust is gone, that usually spells doom for the relationship. I wasn't trying to fix their marriage though, Lisbon, just save her from life in prison."

"Well, I guess you did that…_Boss_."

He caught her smirk from the corner of his eye, and he grinned, his eyes still on the spectacle at the top of the steps. "That was your word, Teresa, not mine. You were feeling threatened when everything seemed to come to pass as I had dictated."

"Dictated? So you're Stalin now?"

"Seems to me, little Miss Trotsky, you didn't have much trouble carrying out my wishes, sight unseen. Is that my fault? Personally, I chalk it up to your renewed faith in me. And look how well the entire team worked on this case. Like a well-oiled machine, if you ask me. I really don't know what you're complaining—"

Jane stopped mid-lecture when he noticed Lisbon had gone still beside him; that and ADA Ardilles had taken the podium. Ardilles began giving all kinds of excuses for the state's shoddy, hole-ridden case, and Jane immediately ignored him to study Lisbon's tense form, to note the shadow that had fallen over her features.

"What's your beef with Ardilles, besides the noxious odor most lawyers exude?"

She glanced at Jane, then her eyes skittered guiltily away. She was hiding something, and Ardilles was obviously at the center of it. It annoyed him that the ADA had gotten under her skin. Well, he couldn't have that.

"Speaking of Stalin, don't take anything Ardilles says to heart. Being a lawyer is bad enough until you throw politics into the mix too. He's had it in for me since I evaded his noose, embarrassed him once before, so don't feel the need to defend me to him—"

"It's not you he blames," she said softly. "It's me. _I'm _the problem, apparently."

"What?"

"Yeah. Though he didn't say it in so many words, I'm sure he thinks I let you literally get away with murder, let you do whatever you want to prove you're right, no matter the cost." She gave Jane a sidelong glance. "He's right, you know."

"He's an ass," Jane said dismissively. "Besides, better men than Ardilles have tried to blame you for your inability to _handle_ me. Minelli, Bosco, Bertram—even Hightower pressured you to hold my reins more tightly. None of them could tell me where in your job description it says I'm your responsibility. I'm just a consultant, remember? They could have fired me a hundred times over for all the ways I've subverted their precious little regulations, but they haven't, and it all goes back to politics, Lisbon. They keep me on because I solve cases, and solved cases keep them in power. So, they need a scapegoat because they don't have the cajones to get rid of me. They pass the buck to you, because you, my dear, have bollocks the size of bowling balls."

Lisbon let out a startled burst of laughter, garnering a few curious glances from fellow bystanders. She clamped her hand over her mouth.

"It's true, Lisbon. They're big and solid as brass…" He held up one hand in a distinctly cupping gesture.

Lisbon was trying desperately to calm her laughter, but it felt so good and it had been so long since she'd laughed this hard, she couldn't seem to control herself. And his mental imagery had struck her as uncharacteristically hilarious. Her eyes watered and she was grinning so widely her cheeks ached. Jane, seeing how much he was entertaining her, couldn't help himself either.

"I'm surprised you don't need a wheelbarrow to cart them around—"

"Stop!" she begged, holding her stomach. When her laughter drew the attention of everyone around them, even Ardilles, who shot her a disapproving look that she was interrupting his statement, Lisbon laughed even harder. Despite his grin at his handiwork, Jane decided she might hate him later for pushing her to this unprofessional extreme, so he quickly opened the passenger side door of the SUV and ushered Lisbon inside. He went round to the driver's side and climbed in, where he sat, listening in contentment as her laughter faded to a few chuckles, then a long sigh of amused relief as she relaxed against the headrest. He'd gotten his smile after all, in spades.

"So my point is," Jane continued dryly, as if the last few minutes hadn't happened. "None of what I do is your fault, Lisbon. Your superiors just need to man up and deal with me themselves if they have a problem with my methods. Truth be told, however," he said, his voice going soft in the quiet interior, "they've recognized that you are the only one that I really listen to, whose opinions I truly respect. Unfortunately, they have the misinformed belief that respect equals control."

Sober now, Lisbon turned her head to look at him, having processed his words and found she wholeheartedly agreed with him. "Amen to that."

Jane grinned. "Don't get me wrong, Lisbon. When it comes down to it, any control you have over me can be directly attributed to your mean right hook. Come to think of it, I guess you _do_ know the secret to handling me-brute force. And then there's the yelling." He gave a mock shiver. "I do so hate the yelling."

They were both quiet a moment, watching as the press conference outside appeared to be breaking up. Jane took the key he'd lifted from her pocket and put it in the ignition.

"What are you doing?" she asked, patting her empty pockets in annoyance. "You are so not driving."

"Look at you, Lisbon. You're relaxed for a change; you're in no condition to drive. Sit back and let me handle everything. You can even call me _Boss_ again if it makes you feel better."

"Ha. Allowing you to be boss would be like I'd let an inmate run the asylum." But she buckled up anyway and allowed him this minor victory, payment for his earlier words of support.

She watched Jane's expert handling of the SUV, maneuvering in and out around other vehicles and pedestrians. She could even tell he was taking it easy on the gas pedal for her benefit, and her gratitude expanded exponentially.

"Jane," she ventured over the small lump in her throat.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," he said simply, sparing a twinkling glance her way.

She smiled and settled back into her seat, closing her eyes as he drove them back toward CBI Headquarters. For Jane, this simple gesture was the ultimate sign of her faith in him, and he cleared his throat over his own lump. She trusted him enough to relax and let him take the wheel for a change.

"By the way," she said, startling him a little from the darkness. "You owe me half a sandwich."

"Sure thing, Boss," he said with a smile, taking the hint and re-plotting his course for the nearest fast food joint.

He would never admit it to her in a million years, but Jane knew damn well who had all the control in this relationship. What was most surprising was how much he didn't mind it.

A/N: Okay, so this seems a complete turnaround from my last rather morose tag. I guess having the lighthearted aspects of their relationship/partnership highlighted so beautifully in this episode reminded me of how great it all is that they are sharing secrets. Plus, my shipper heart feels like all of this HAS to be leading to a different kind of closeness someday.

Which brings me to the previews for the upcoming episode with the return of Erika. (If you're not into spoilers, stop now). Seeing the scene where Jane and Erika seem about to kiss totally overpowered my appreciation for the current episode, at least for a day or two—hence the lateness of this tag. I'm very torn about this. I mean, you have to feel a little for Jane as a man—celibate for about eight years I'm guessing, and to feel attracted to a woman must be very liberating. If you read my old tag for "Every Rose Has It's Thorn," I pointed out his attraction to her (some strongly disagreed with that characterization, lol) and I'm thinking, well, if it can't be Lisbon, let it be someone who is a match for him, even if this woman is a cold-blooded killer,lol. But I have to say, seeing him lean in for a kiss felt a little like watching a guy about to lose his virginity to the wrong girl.

I guess only time will tell, and I'll certainly forgive him if he doesn't resist temptation. Now will Jane forgive himself? That's the real question. I will tell you one thing, if you've never seen Simon Baker in a love scene, you are missing something (especially in "The Guardian" or "Something New.") That man knows his way around a pair of lips, ladies. It would actually be kind of nice to see a little of that again…Until next week, thanks for reading.


End file.
